James weathers



(No Model.)

J. WEATHERS.

. COMBINED WIRE STRETOHER AND LIFTING JACK.

No. 599.465. Patent Feb. 22,1898.

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JAMES WEATHERS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN A. ROBBINS, OF SAME PLACE COMBINED WIRE STRETCHER AND L|FTlNG-JACK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 599,465, dated February 22, 1898.

Application filed October 80, 1897. Serial No. 666,962. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES WEATHERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Wire- Stretcher and Lifting-Jack, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a tool which can be used for hoistingheavy objects, such as vehicles, for the purpose of lubricating the axles, and which can also be used for stretching fence-wires and the like, the obj ect being to provide a tool which, when it is used as a lifting-jack for raising vehicles, will be light and convenient to handle and yet strong and powerful enough to lift the heaviest wagon with its heaviest load, and which will have a wide range of adaptability whereby it will be capable of insertion un der the axles of very low vehicles like the front axle of a phaeton or can be extended to reach axles or other objects above the usual height and lift them in an equally satisfactory manner.

I accomplish the objects of the invention by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of my improved tool in position for use as a liftingjack. The near link for attaching the lever is broken away to show the pawl back of it. Fig. 2 shows the several parts of the tool in perspective and disconnected. Fig. 3 illustrates the use of the tool as a wire-stretcher, it being here shown as stretching one of the horizontal wires of afence.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

A represents the base, which will preferably comprise a broad board a, to give ample bearing-surface, and a second board a, of less area, which is fastened to the lower board, the two together providing the necessary strength with less weight and material than where a large board of the combined thickness of the two pieces a a is used.

B is the main support or body of the machine and has an expanded base b with holes whereby the standard is secured by means of the bolts 1) to the base A. The top of the body portion terminates with the lateral parallel ears b 19 which form guides for a rackbar 0, which moves longitudinally of the body B, and also gives support to a pawl D and hand-lever E. Directly opposite the ears b b are the parallel ears 17 12 which form a guide for the bar F.

The rack-bar O is practically the same thickness as the standard B and makes close fit between the ears 19 12 Its outside edge is provided with the series of ratchet-teeth G and its lower end is provided with the integral arms 0 c, which are parallel and extend laterally in the opposite direction from the teeth 0, thereby embracing the standard B.

The upper end of the rack-bar O terminates with a small platform 0 on which the load to be raised will rest.

The bar F is the same in thickness as the standard B and its lower end is inserted between the arms c' c, to which it is fastened by the screw f or by means of a bolt in place of the screw. A lug f from the bar F fills the space between the arms 0 c and finishes a shelf at a low position on the bar F, which will be used in taking hold of very low objects to be lifted. The top end of the bar F has the laterally-projected ears f f with transverse openings whereby by bolts through said openings and through a hole in the upper end of the rack-bar O the bar F is fastened to the bar C. It will thus be seen that the two bars F and C are joined together at both ends and constitute aframe, between the sides of which the bodyB is closely embraced. The two bars support and strengthen each other. F is a shelf or bracket integral with the bar F about midway of its length, and its purpose is to enable the jack to take hold of a load lower down than could be done with the platform 0 The hand-lever E is suspended by the linkbars or double shackle e, which permits the inner end of the lever to be lowered and hooked under one of the ratchet-teeth, and then by forcing the outer end of the lever down the rack-bar will be elevated, and any object resting on any one of the three shelves or platforms will be lifted with the bar. The lifting power of the jack will depend on the relative length of the outer end of the lever as compared with the inner end. To enable this to be varied somewhat, I provide two holes in the lever for the fulcrum-pin. The outer hole or hole nearest the short end will enable me to reach only one tooth at a time, but the inner hole will lengthen the short arm of the lever to enable me to reach two teeth at a time and is desirable where quick action is preferred at a sacrifice of power.

The pawl D has a hook at its lower end to engage the teeth of the rack-bar, and it also has a handle which is bent out to throw its weight outside of its fulcrum, thereby pressing the hooked end constantly against the rack-bar, causing it to automatically engage the teeth of the bar and hold them. The bandle enables the pawl to be thrown out of engagement with the teeth in lowering the load, the latter being let down with the lever a notch at a time in the same manner in which the load was elevated. To enable the pawl to be drawn out and held out of engagement with the teeth of the rack-bar by the hand of the operator without his releasing his hold on the lever, I provide the rod (1, one end of which is fastened to the pawl, and the other end is passed through an opening through a lug e from the lever E. The rod slides longitudinally through the lug as the lever E is raised and lowered, and the end of the rod is provided with a head which keeps it from be ing drawn out of the lug. By drawing the rod down and holding it with a finger or thumb the pawl can be held away from the rack-bar.

The tool is serviceable as a wire-stretcher by placing the base against the side of the fence-post and threading the wire through an opening through the base provided for that purpose and fastening the end of the wire to the lower end of the rack-bar, the opening m therethrough and parallel, opposite, shorter ears b the rack-bar 0 having the outside teeth C, the expanded end 0 at one of its ends, the hole m and parallel perforated ears 0 at the end opposite the expanded part and on the side opposite the teeth 0, said rackbar being placed between the ears b of the body B with the body B between the ears 0' of the rack-bar, a bar F on the side of the body B opposite the rack-bar and secured between the ears 0' at a point remotely adjacent one end of the bar and having the ears f at its opposite end embracing and removably secured to the adjacent end of the rack-bar, said rack-bar F having the shelves F and f, the hooked pawl D pivoted between the cars 6 a lever E pivoted between the outer ends of the link-bars and having a plurality of pivot-openings at different distances from the end of the lever and having a perforated lug e, and a rod 01 passing through the lug and secured to the pawl D, all substantially as described and specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 21st day of October, A. D. 1897.

JAMES WEATHERS. 

